Stand Up for America: Making the most out of employment

Honoring family and friends on Labor Day is a strong civic characteristic.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a nationwide holiday dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

Here in Lubbock, workers come in with varying degrees of skills. They’re all different ages, shaped by different backgrounds, and all have different motives behind what they do. But they do share one thing in common, which is bettering the economy and quality of life.

But there’s one question Martin Aguirre, CEO of Workforce Solutions of the South Plains, keeps asking: Since the number of job openings in the nation exceeds the total number of unemployed, why isn’t everyone employed?

The answer to that question, he said, is the unemployed don’t match the requirements for which hiring managers are looking.

Attitude matters

Although skills and training are important, Aguirre said employers are first looking for the more unteachable skills, or someone who has a good attitude. That means they’re dependable and reliable. He also said they are focused on the intrinsic assets the employee will bring to the job, such as work ethic, morals and values.

“If you have those,” he said, “you’re so much further ahead when you’re sitting down and dealing with an employer. You know, if you have good face-to-face skills, it’s not only good for teamwork, but it’s also good for negotiating and for you dealing with customers.”

These are qualities taught in households, schools, churches and other social settings.

The desire to continuously learn is another important value, he said; a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma is to help a person get his or her foot in the door, not an ending point to learning.

“You don’t just get a job and quit learning,” he said. “You don’t just come to work tomorrow and that’s all there is to it. There will be continuous learning in the future workplace because of the changing technologies and the changing discoveries and products that aren’t even known to us today.”

Skills and training

Apart from work ethic, skills are also needed, he said, but those can be honed with on-the-job training, courses at colleges and universities and other training programs.

This is the majority of what Workforce Solutions does. The agency connects the skills employers are looking for with skills potential employees have or need to get.

Jim Killough, director at Texas Tech’s University Career Center, is also active in helping potential employees find jobs.

The University Career Center offers services to students to connect with employers, such as hosting mock interviews and giving resume and cover letter critiques. The center also gives career assessments, providing help for students to explore career options.

Making good use of college

Like Aguirre, Killough said skills are needed to be hireable. Those skills can and should be picked up in the classroom. They can also be further improved in internships, which students are encouraged to do.

A student with a perfect grade point average without any experience outside of the classroom would eventually get hired, he said, but there are other, even better ways to gain experience.

“If I compare that to a student who had a 3.5 (GPA), who was involved with student organizations and had an internship or part-time job, I think, generally speaking, most employers would probably prefer the experience,” he said. Professionalism is also a big part of being successful in the workplace, he added.

For those who are having a difficult time finding work, Aguirre said his main advice is to not give up.

He compared finding work to fishing.

“How many times do you have to cast out in the water before you catch a fish? Sometimes you’re there all day and you get a little frustrated and go home with an empty bucket,” he said. “But there are days you catch more than one, and there’s days you catch the big whopper.”

He also said job openings come and go, and people should always be looking to further their career goals.